2019SustainabilityCommissionGuidelines

GUIDELINES OF THE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION Rev 02/2019 MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Section I: Introduction and Purpose Section II: Funding .3 Section III: Financial Responsibility Section IV: Student and Non-Student Membership Section V: Sustainability Commission Duties and Responsibilities Section VI: Fee Allocations and Reserve Fund Section VII: Project Proposals Section VIII: Process for Project Proposal Approval 13 Section IX: Project Implementation 14 Section X: Sunshine Rule 17 Section XI: Amendment of Guidelines 17 Section XII: Ratifcation 17 Section XIII: Enabling Clause 17 SECTION I: INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE The mission of the Sustainability Fund is to provide the means to implement student-initiated projects on the Missouri State UniversitySpringfield campus that focus on sustainability initiatives that lessen the negative environmental impact of the University The Student Sustainability Fund was established after the passing of the Student Sustainability Fee by the student body in March 2009 The money collected each year from this fee goes into the Student Sustainability Fund (hereafter referred to as the Sustainability Fund) The Sustainability Fund is named such to remind students that their money is going towards the sustainability of their University The Student Sustainability Commission has the authority to reject projects that are environmentally harmful or that primarily benefit a restricted academic department or group of students In addition, the process of forming an idea into a viable proposal and submitting that proposal for consideration is intended to be a valuable learning experience for students and as an opportunity to be involved in something that betters the University and the environment The Student Sustainability Commission shall be established as an executive commission of the Student Government Association in accordance with Article II, Section of the SGA Constitution The Sustainability Commission shall administer the Sustainability Fund program as outlined in these guidelines SECTION II: FUNDING The Sustainability Fund is supported by a fee collected from each student enrolled at the Springfield campus of Missouri State University at the rate of two dollars per semester for the spring and fall semesters Additionally, funds accrued from the student fee will be matched by oficials within the University up to $75,000 each academic year SECTION III: FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The monies in the Sustainability Fund will be collected and maintained by the Financial Services department of Missouri State University The Sustainability Fund monies shall be considered as separate from other monies maintained by the Financial Services department and shall be kept as such Funds may be drawn or transferred from the Sustainability Fund account after all appropriate documentation has been listed on the University purchasing system in place at the time of the expenditure and with appropriate approval by the Vice President of Administrative Services, or other designated University administrator All expenditures must go through the Director of Accounting and Budgeting, or other designated University administrator, before the purchase is made The project manager, who must be a student, will be responsible for monitoring activity to assure that no request will lead to expenditures in excess of the total approved Neither the Sustainability Fund nor the Student Sustainability Commission may borrow money The monies to fund a project must be collected before they can be appropriated to a project SECTION IV: STUDENT AND NON-STUDENT MEMBERSHIP A Membership The Sustainability Commission shall consist of the following members: One student who shall serve as Chief Sustainability Commissioner Six students at-large • No more than two of whom shall be from the same academic college • One shall serve as Vice Commissioner • One shall serve as Administrative Coordinator The Vice President of Administrative Services (or appointee) The University Architect and/or Campus Planner (or appointee) Vice President of Student Afairs (or appointee) Director of Facilities (or appointee) The non-student members of the Sustainability Commission listed above shall have voting rights Other non-student faculty and staf members may attend meetings, but they will stand as ex-oficio members with no vote Ex-officio Members shall include Student Body President The Director of Accounting and/or budget liaison (or appointee) A Faculty Senate representative A Staf Senate representative The Sustainability Coordinator and/or Director of Sustainability, as applies (or appointee) serving as Advisor to the Sustainability Commission B Non-Student Member Term of Offce The Chief Sustainability Commissioner shall ask the Faculty Senate for the name of its representative This representative’s term shall begin upon appointment and end the following May, concurrent with the student representatives’ terms of ofice, as in Section IV, Subsection F There is no limit to the number of consecutive terms that any one individual may serve in the capacity of Faculty Senate representative The Vice President of Administrative Services, the University Architect, the Sustainability Coordinator, and the Director of Accounting will be standing members of the Sustainability Commission, and may name a standing appointee to serve in their absence C Student Member Selection The student representatives shall be selected by the following procedure: The Chief Sustainability Commissioner shall serve as an executive member of the SGA Cabinet A student applicant for the Chief Commissioner of the Sustainability Commission may apply for the position through the same process as other positions on the SGA Cabinet and be selected and appointed by the newly-elected Student Body President (in accordance with Article III, Section 4, Paragraph G of the SGA Constitution) The Chief Sustainability Commissioner shall solicit applicants for the student seats on the Sustainability Commission starting no later than the third week in September each year When selecting students for the Sustainability Commission, emphasis will be placed on experience and knowledge of sustainability A notice may be placed in The Missouri State University Standard or similar publication, and on the oficial SGA website and social media If insuficient applicants apply to fill the positions, the newly-elected president and Chief Sustainability Commissioner shall have the authority to submit names for the remaining appointments in accordance with the following paragraph The Chief Sustainability Commissioner shall then deliver to the Student Senate the names of six nominees for appointment to the Sustainability Commission The Chief Sustainability Commissioner shall also name a Vice Commissioner and Administrative Coordinator among the student members of the Sustainability Commission and submit the name of those individuals to the Student Body President The Student Senate will need to approve these nominees before the mid-term of the fall semester The Chief Sustainability Commissioner will need to take into consideration the possibility of the Student Senate rejecting their proposed nominees when timing their nominations If any nominee is rejected by the Student Senate, the Chief Sustainability Commissioner must present a new nominee at the following Student Senate meeting, and so on until all six positions are approved All student commissioners may attend Senate However, they shall be unable to be voting senators D Student Member Eligibility Eligibility for nomination shall be in accordance with Article II, Section of the SGA Constitution Also, members should be available for a summer meeting if one is needed during their term in ofice Student representatives may be of any class designation no more than two representatives are from the same academic college E Student Member Removal of Office The student members’ term of office shall begin upon their approval by the Student Senate and end the following August concurrent with the appointment of new student members Student members may serve unlimited consecutive terms, but the Sustainability Commission must have at least one underclassmen student member at all times Student members are expected to attend all regular meetings, failure to so may result in removal from the Sustainability Commission In the event of removal, the student member will be notified and the Sustainability Commission shall notify the Student Body President in order to begin eforts of replacing the position in accordance with the procedure outlined in Section IV, Subsection C F Student Member Vacancies Vacancies in the student membership of the Sustainability Commission shall be filled in the following manner: Nominees shall be presented to the Student Senate within the time frame of the Senate’s next two meetings following the occurrence of the vacancy The consideration of the nominee shall follow the procedure outlined in the Section IV, Subsection C If the vacancy is in the position of Chief Sustainability Commissioner, the Student Body President must designate a new Chief Sustainability Commissioner SECTION V: SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES A Chief Sustainability Commissioner’s Essential Duties and Responsibilities The Chief Sustainability Commissioner shall: • • • • • • • • Ensure proper functioning of the Sustainability Commission as specified in this document and uphold the integrity of the Sustainability Commission Hold primary responsibility for holding, moderating, and being present at all necessary meetings of the Sustainability Commission Submit notice of all approved proposals to the Vice President of Student Afairs (or designee) and Director of Accounting and Budgeting (or designee) and maintain communication with both on project implementation progress, ongoing project operation, project completion, and the status of the Sustainability Fund Submit necessary reports as specified in this document and efectively communicate with members of the Sustainability Commission and external stakeholders about Commission activities Attend Student Government Association Senate every week Serve on appropriate University committees related to sustainability and projects approved by the Sustainability Commission Educate the student body about the Sustainability Fund and how to write and submit proposals Serve as a knowledgeable resource for fellow students B Vice Commissioner’s Essential Duties and Responsibilities The Vice Commissioner shall: • • • Directly assist the Chief Sustainability Commissioner with fulfilling Commission responsibilities Ensure the proper publicity for all projects post-approval, meetings, deadlines, and other activities by the Sustainability Commission appropriately as indicated in Section X Hold all project managers compliant during the follow-up process as indicated in Section IX, Subsection C • • • Hold all project managers of ongoing projects compliant for semester reports as indicated in Section IX, Subsection G Assist with educating student body about Sustainability Fund and writing and submitting proposals Assume Chief Sustainability Commissioner’s responsibilities in their absence or position vacancy C Administrative Coordinator’s Essential Duties and Responsibilities The Administrative Coordinator shall: • • • • • Record and archive minutes of all Commission meetings and distribute them to all Commission members and necessary external stakeholders within a week’s time after each meeting o These minutes shall be maintained in the archives of the Student Government Association Maintain accurate attendance record of all Commission meetings Collaborate with Sustainability Coordinator (or designee) and Vice President of Student Afairs (or designee) to keep accurate record of Commission activities and in the Sustainability Common Folder Collaborate with Sustainability Coordinator (or designee) to keep accurate record of approved proposals on the Missouri State University Sustainability website Assist with educating the student body about Sustainability Fund and writing and submitting proposals D Advisor’s Essential Duties and Responsibilities The Advisor to the Sustainability Commission shall: • • • • Serve as an aid to students who wish to present a proposal to use the Sustainability Fund o This shall include advising students on the process of researching, proposing, and procuring funds for their project Attend meetings regularly Work with Chief Sustainability Commissioner to ensure approved projects are completed in a smooth and timely manner Collaborate with Administrative Coordinator to keep accurate record of Commission activities and in the Sustainability • • Common Folder Collaborate with Administrative Coordinator to keep accurate record of approved proposals on the Missouri State University Sustainability website Assist with educating the student body about Sustainability Fund and writing and submitting proposals E Meeting Frequency The Sustainability Commission must meet at least once a semester following the proposal submission deadlines as established in Section VII, Subsection B, Paragraph The Commission may choose to meet more often than once per semester However, the Chief Sustainability Commissioner must meet with their student commissioners outside regular Commission meetings at least once a month throughout the academic year Individuals may participate via conference call If a member is unable to attend a Commission meeting, that member must give advance notice (at least week prior is preferred) to the Chief Sustainability Commissioner and Vice Commissioner, unless the reason is an emergency F Quorum The Chief Commissioner must be present at all Sustainability Commission meetings (or the Vice Commissioner in the absence of the Chief Sustainability Commissioner) In addition, at least two nonstudent members or appointees and three of the current student members must be present to achieve quorum If quorum is not able to be achieved at a meeting, all business that requires voting must be postponed until the next Commission meeting when quorum is achieved G Commission Reports Report from the Director of Accounting The Director of Accounting (or appointee) shall submit a written monthly report on the status of the Sustainability Fund to the Vice President for Administrative Services and present the report to the Sustainability Commission The report must include the amount in the Sustainability Fund and any change in that amount since the last report All expenditures must be itemized in the report detailing the purpose of the debit Report to the Student Senate 10 The Chief Sustainability Commissioner must report to the Student Senate at least once a month with a summary of Commission activities, the amount of money in the Sustainability Fund, and any changes in that amount Sustainability Commission Report to the Student Body President The Sustainability Commission must submit a written report to the Student Body President by the close of each semester detailing all projects implemented and completed during that school year The report must include the Sustainability Commission's justification for recommending each proposal and provide copies of the final project proposals The report shall be forwarded to the President of the University and will be posted on the University’s Sustainability website and official SGA website or other such place as designated by the Student Body Vice President so as to provide transparency between the Sustainability Commission and the Student Body SECTION VI: FEE ALLOCATIONS AND RESERVE FUND Beginning with the first collection of the Student Sustainability Fee, 10% will be deposited into a reserve fund The Student Sustainability Reserve Fund (Sustainability Reserve) shall be maintained The amount of 10% of the Fee will be maintained at all times and, if utilized, will be restored to the level of 10% at the next installment of the Sustainability Fee The Sustainability Reserve may be utilized to meet cost overruns for projects that are in progress during the year with proper approval The Sustainability Commission must seek approval from Student Senate and a two-thirds majority of voting Sustainability Commission members before employing any deduction from the Sustainability Reserve for project appropriations SECTION VII: PROJECT PROPOSALS A Project Sponsors Proposals for expenditures from the Sustainability Fund may be submitted only by Missouri State University students of the Springfield campus The Missouri State University student(s) submitting each 11 project shall be defined as the sponsor(s) of that project If there are multiple sponsors, one student shall be designated as the project manager (detailed in Section IX, Subsection D), who will be responsible for overseeing project implementation if the proposal is approved by the Sustainability Commission This must be a student who would still be present to oversee project implementation and completion, or at least one year of implementation if the project is one that involves ongoing recurrence No university faculty or non-student staf member may be a project sponsor B Proposal Guidelines Preliminary Research Students interested in submitting project proposals are encouraged to work with Student Government Association, Facilities Management, Environmental Management, or any other University department they deem relevant to determine the feasibility of their ideas, the compliance of those ideas with the University's master plan, and to help formulate preliminary cost estimates Research Responsibility Students should determine the feasibility of their ideas and begin formulating a preliminary cost estimate once a project has been decided Students interested in submitting project proposals are expected to work with the appropriate University administrator(s) to accomplish these tasks Project sponsors are responsible for the preparation of their proposals including the compilation of research information The project sponsor(s) may use any resources to aid their eforts The source of all research information and the amount of information obtained from that source must be documented by the project sponsor(s) in the proposal Since the Sustainability Fund provides an educational opportunity to students for drafting proposals, the Sustainability Commission has the right to reject a proposal if it is able to establish that the project sponsor(s) were not primarily responsible for the preparation of the proposal and its research (i.e Faculty and Staff may not submit proposals for their own departments and simply put a willing student’s name in as a sponsor) Proposals that directly reference an existing university project proposal created by a faculty or staf member will be immediately rejected (i.e hyperlink within proposal) 12 Furthermore, project sponsors must meet with the Vice President of Administrative Services (or other University administrator designated by the Vice President of Administrative Services) to review their proposal and obtain support in order to be eligible for voting As stated in Section III, Paragraph the Vice President of Administrative Services is given approval power for allocating funds to approved proposals Proposal Requirements Project Proposals must be written according to the following outline: a Identification of Project Sponsors (1) Name(s) of project sponsor(s) (2) Campus and permanent addresses and telephone numbers of project sponsor(s) (3) Faculty/Staff advisor(s) (4) Project manager(s) b Description of Proposed Project (1) General description, purpose, and goal(s) of proposal, including its relevance to sustainability such as: (a) Energy and Utilities (electric, gas, water, etc.), i.e funding to increase energy efficiency and reduced energy and resource consumption (b) Local Generation of Renewable Energy, i.e funding to increase use of clean energy technologies on campus including but not limited to solar, wind, hydrogen, geothermal, etc (c) Alternative Fuel, i.e funding for Hybrid, electric, or solar powered vehicles biodiesel projects, etc (d) Environmental, i.e funding for projects that help establish a sustainable campus environment by 13 financing initiatives including, but not limited to, green building, engagement of the university community, recycling, soil and water conservation, waste reduction, environmentally responsible purchasing (2) Proposed location for the object of the proposal as stated in Section VII, Subsection B, Paragraph May include appropriate diagrams, maps, images, etc (3) Alternative and/or additional uses (4) Drawbacks and/or additional problems that may arise prior to project implementation, during implementation period, or after project completion; including any issues that could diminish the justification of the project (5) Necessary modifications to existing infrastructure (if applicable) c Estimated Cost of the Project (1) Provision of alternatives in order of preference (a) Inclusion of possible companies and bids available (b) Inclusion of contact information for each of the aforementioned companies (2) Provision of complete breakdown of costs (a) Indication of costs for each alternative (b) Indication of minimum and maximum costs (3) It is suggested that the project sponsors incorporate a ten percent contingency cost into the initial cost estimates of their proposal to account for changes and cost overruns that may occur in the time between submission and implementation, if the proposal is approved d Estimated Completion Time of Project 14 (1) Estimated Timeline of Project will be used as a measure of accountability for the project e Estimated Life of the Project f Justification of Project—explanation of how the proposed project will benefit the students of Missouri State University and/or the University community, demonstration of its positive environmental impact, and how the project promotes the Public Afairs Mission g University Support—Signed letter(s) of support from appropriate members of the university, as necessary The letter(s) should detail any ongoing commitments, maintenance, support, or costs associated with the proposal that will be assumed by the University Project sponsors are encouraged to gather support letters for their project Any additional information or documentation necessary to the proposal must be included as is appropriate Availability of Funds Project proposals with an estimated cost greater than the amount of the uncommitted funds available in the Sustainability Fund at the time the proposal is submitted cannot be accepted by the Sustainability Commission and are encouraged to be resubmitted the following semester Ongoing Costs Proposals for projects which would entail future or ongoing costs if implemented must propose an addendum to the already established recurring costs budget for the Sustainability Fund Proposal Submission Deadlines The deadline for submission of a preliminary draft of a project proposal must will be the last Friday in October for the fall semester and the last Friday in March for the spring semester In the event that the deadline falls on an academic holiday the date will move forward to the next Friday that classes are in session This draft must include at least a description of the proposal, location, purpose, cost estimates, and any other details which would give the Commission a comprehensive understanding of 15 the project This serves to get students in touch with the Sustainability Commission and appropriate administrators before the final submission deadline It also allows the Commission to assess the initial eligibility and feasibility of a proposal before the entire final proposal has been constructed It is the Chief Sustainability Commissioner’s responsibility to set up a time and location for students to present to the commission If a student is unable to submit a preliminary proposal, the student must schedule a meeting with the Chief Sustainability Commissioner to discuss their proposal idea in order to be eligible to submit a proposal After initial review by the Sustainability Commission, the project sponsor(s) will have until the third Friday of November and third Friday of April, for the fall and spring semesters respectively, to submit final drafts of their proposal to the Sustainability Commission The Commission shall then make a final review of the proposals submitted and vote on them Project proposals may be submitted to the Sustainability Commission at any point in time before the submission deadline during the fall and spring semesters Proposals submitted after the deadline will not be considered until after the start of the next academic semester; however, the Sustainability Commission holds the right to accept proposals at any time Proposed Location If appropriate, written documentation must be included clarifying that the proposed location of the object, using diagrams or maps if necessary, of the proposal is acceptable and encouraged C Independence of Projects The resources of the Sustainability Fund may be appropriated only to student-sponsored projects approved by the Sustainability Commission Project sponsors must obtain approval from the Student Government Association via a resolution of support for project proposals exceeding 25% of the Sustainability Fund for any given year Project sponsors must obtain the official approval from the Student Government Association Senate prior to submitting their final proposal If the project sponsor(s) cannot attend SGA Senate to present their proposal for approval, they must make alternative arrangements with the Chief Sustainability Commissioner 16 D Confict of Interest No member of the Sustainability Commission or the Executive or Judicial Branches of the Student Government Association shall sponsor a project proposal or enable any one project proposal over another If any non-student member of the Sustainability Commission agrees to be a Staf/Faculty advisor for a proposal, he or she must designate an appropriate appointee to attend the Commission meeting(s) when said proposal is being discussed and voted on SECTION VIII: PROCESS FOR PROJECT PROPOSAL APPROVAL A Solicitation of Project Proposals The Sustainability Commission is responsible for soliciting project proposals during each semester These eforts may involve notices in The Missouri State University Standard or similar publication, social media, and other forms of campus publicity Members of the Sustainability Commission are also open to meeting with any student organization that expresses interest in the Sustainability Fund B Sustainability Commission Review and Modification of Proposals After receiving proposals, the Sustainability Commission must review the document and determine if all requirements have been met by the project sponsors If applicable, the Ofice of Planning, Design, and Construction will conduct a cost review at this time If any project proposal is unacceptable as submitted, but the Sustainability Commission believes the proposal would be acceptable if modified, then the Sustainability Commission may return the proposal to its sponsor(s) for modification The proposal may be modified until the final submission deadline In accordance with Section VII, Subsection D, no voting member of the Sustainability Commission, including the Chief Sustainability Commissioner, may, under any circumstance, assist a project sponsor in writing a proposal beyond modification suggestions Extensive modifications to a proposal outside of addressing the concerns of the Sustainability Commission should be resubmitted as a new and different proposal and the Sustainability Commission should be given an explanation of the specific changes and why they were made 17 C Submission of Project Proposals to the Student Government Association After their initial review (or second review if modifications were made), the Chief Sustainability Commissioner or project manager(s) must present acceptable project proposals during open forum to the Student Government Association for further input The Student Government Association may express student concerns, verify the cost estimate and determine the feasibility of each project When needed, project sponsors must also present their proposal to Student Government Association as stated in Section VII, Subsection C D Voting Procedure Each student member and non-student voting members listed in Section IV, Subsection A of the Sustainability Commission shall have one vote in the decisions of the Sustainability Commission The Chief Commissioner will only vote in the event of a tie The non-student members also serve as sources of knowledge and guidance In the event that the aggregate estimated cost of multiple submitted proposals in a particular semester exceeds the total amount remaining in the Sustainability Fund, the voting members shall instant runof voting In this procedure, each voting member must create a ranked list of what proposals they wish to fund in order of preference Once the ranked lists are made, the Chief Commissioner will tally the rankings of each proposal The proposal with the most first place votes will be locked in for funding and the proposal with the most last place votes will be eliminated This process will repeat with the remaining proposals until the aggregate cost of the proposals or a combination of their alternatives can be funded When the final ranked list is created, the proposals will receive funding according to their respective rankings Funding will be allocated until there is not enough funds to fulfill a project or an alternative stated in a proposal, unless otherwise stated by the voting members During this process, the Chief Sustainability Commissioner will serve as sources of knowledge and guidance in this process Furthermore, the Chief Commissioner will facilitate any discussion and only speak in reference to information explicitly stated in the proposals in question or relevant objective knowledge The voting members, excluding the Chief Commissioner, have the right to exclude proposals they believe are unfit to be approved in their ranked list E Explanation for Rejection If the Sustainability Commission rejects a project, a detailed written 18 explanation of why the proposal was rejected will be sent to the project sponsor(s) SECTION IX – PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION A Project Proposal Priority After approval by the Sustainability Commission and SGA, the project proposals shall be assigned a priority depending upon date of submission and/or timeline of implementation B Implementation of Projects According to Priority Status Projects will be implemented in order of submission unless other circumstances dictate a project is implemented out of order Bids shall be taken and accepted in accordance with Missouri State University bidding procedures No project may be implemented if enough funds not exist in the Sustainability Fund to cover the entire cost of the project except as prescribed in Section IX, Subsection E, Paragraph l C Proper and Timely Implementation of Projects Once a project has been approved, it is ready for implementation The project sponsor will receive an Implementation Plan document from the Chief Sustainability Commissioner that outlines the proper steps needed to be taken in order to implement a project Budgeted funds will be reserved for each project and implementation shall begin within 120 days of approval A project is considered implemented upon the release of a purchase requisition, the awarding of a contract for work on that project, or if appropriate, submission to the Ofice of Planning, Design, and Construction No project will be allowed to commit or spend for goods, services, or renovation, an amount in excess of the total funding ceiling approved If a project has not been implemented within 90 days of its approval, the project sponsor(s) will be notified of the approaching deadline Failure to begin the project within the 120 days will void the approval and require that the process for requesting funds be reinstated in a subsequent year, unless an exception has been approved by the Sustainability Commission Upon failing to implement a project within the 120-day time limit, a written notice of termination shall be sent to the project sponsor(s) An extension of the initial implementation date may be granted at the request of the project sponsor(s) by a majority vote of the Sustainability Commission 19 D Project Manager The individual listed as the project manager in the proposal will be responsible for managing the project budget, preparing documents through the University’s current purchasing system, and reporting to the Sustainability Commission upon completion of the project The project advisor and Sustainability Coordinator (or designee) will work closely with this student throughout the process and retain signatory authority throughout the process Staff in the department of concern according to each proposal will also be assigned to monitor the process E Project Revision and Cost Overruns Appropriation Deficiency Prior to Project Commencement In the event that no project bid is received for an amount less than or equal to the estimated cost of the project as appropriated by the student body, the Sustainability Commission must decide whether to modify the proposal to allow for adequate cost savings or to terminate the project due to inadequate funds Non-Cost Project Revisions The project manager may propose changes to the project proposal These changes may be implemented if they not entail cost increases and if the Sustainability Commission approves the changes The Sustainability Commission shall not approve changes that substantially alter the original intent or purpose of the project If the original intent or purpose of the project is changed, the proposal must be resubmitted as a new proposal Cost Overruns Due to Unforeseen Circumstances In the event that, due to extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances, the cost of completing a project exceeds the amount stipulated in the contract for completion of that project, and the contractor is not liable for those cost overruns, the Sustainability Reserve may be used to meet these additional costs (in accordance with Section VI) In the event that these additional costs are so great that the amount in the Sustainability Reserve is inadequate, the Sustainability Commission shall terminate the project proposal unless outside funds may be acquired 20 Costs to Expand Existing Projects If a student wishes to expand on a current or previously implemented project, they should submit a new and different proposal to institute and fund that change or expansion F Terminating an Ongoing Project In the event that an ongoing project no longer contributes to a more positive environmental impact, fails to its intended purpose, or due to other unforeseen circumstances, the Sustainability Commission has the authority to terminate said project with a unanimous vote A detailed report and justification of the termination shall be included in the monthly reports given by the Sustainability Commission in accordance with Section V, Subsection F and sent to the project manager of the proposal G Follow-up Process Once a project is approved, the project manager will be responsible for submitting a report each semester detailing the status and completed progress up to date of the project Any unforeseen circumstances that deviate from the original approved proposal must be included in the report The deadline to submit this report for the fall semester will occur on the last Friday in October, and the deadline in the spring semester will occur on the last Friday in March These reports shall be submitted every semester until the completion of the project, or in the case of ongoing projects, until termination The Vice Commissioner shall be responsible for ensuring an adequate and complete report is presented to the Sustainability Commission within a week of the deadline each semester Failure to submit a report with prior advance notice by the Sustainability Commission may result in the termination of the project SECTION X – SUNSHINE RULE All meetings held by the Sustainability Commission shall be open and announced at least one week in advance by posting the date, time, and location of the meeting on the SGA website, social media, or such place designated by the Student Body Vice President In addition, a notice may be printed in The Missouri State University Standard or similar publication, prior to any meeting All books and records of the Sustainability Commission and 21 the Sustainability Fund are open to the students of Missouri State University SECTION XI - AMENDMENT OF GUIDELINES Amendments or changes to these guidelines shall be ratified by a twothirds vote of Student Senate seats filled Purely stylistic changes and updates may be enacted by the Sustainability Commission in consultation with the Chief of Staf These Guidelines must be reviewed every academic year and amendment and changes shall be made as necessary SECTION XII – RATIFICATION These guidelines shall be fully ratified after passage by a two-thirds majority of the Student Government Senate seats filled SECTION XIII – ENABLING CLAUSE These guidelines shall go into effect immediately following their adoption by the Student Senate 22